Implement for making covered buttons



IMPLBMENT POR MAKING COVERED BUTTONS.

NQ. 355,030. Patented Dec. 28, 1886.

yterial of which the garment is made.

Nirsno STATES PATENT Ormea.,

THOMAS G. ROEBUCK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

llVlPLElVI ENT FCR MAKING COVERED BUTTONS.

SPECIFICATION imiugpart of Letters Patent No. 355,030, dated December 28, 1886. I

Applica tion tiled Septemblr 9, i886. Serial No. $213,156. (No model.)

To all vwhom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. RoEBUoK, a

ycitizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Implements for Making Covered Buttons, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the same.

rlhis invention relates to a tool or implement for the manufacture of what are known as covered buttons. These buttons, as is well known, are composed of an interior mold or body `formed of some rigid material, which is covered with any suitable fabric to form the outside of the button, the fabric being retained on the mold either by having its edges brought together at the back and fastened by sewing, as in the cheaper class of buttons, or by a metal retaining-ring, which, after the edges of the fabric are brought together at the back. of the mold, is pressed onto the edges so as to hold them, and is secured in that position by some suitable means, usually by turning outward the edges of an eyelet extending from the back of the mold. Where these covered buttons are to be produced in large quantities, the operation is not particularly difficult or expensive; but it frequently happens that a person ordering a suit of clothes or a dress desires to have the buttons thereof covered withthe same nia- Vhen such orders are given, it has heretofore been necessary for the tailor. or dress-maker to send pieces of the goods with which the buttons were to be covered to a button-manufacturer and have a sufficient number of buttons covered with that material to :fill the special 0rder. This ofcourse occasioned considerable trouble and delay, and, aside from that, made the buttons comparatively expensive. -It is highly desirable, therefore, to provide a means by which any tailor or dress-maker can readily produce covered buttons in small quantities, to ll any special orders that may be received,

vwithout the necessity of sending to a manufacturer of buttons for that purpose.

The present invention relates to a tool or implement which is especially adapted for this purpose. Y v

As an understanding of the invention can'be best given by an illustration and description of the construction and operation of the tool or implement in which it is embodied, such description will now be given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures l to 5, inclusive, are views showing the several parts of the implement detached from each other. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view, partly in section, illustrating the first step in the operation of producing a covered button by the useof this implement. Fig. 7 is asimilar view illustrating the next step in the operation of producing the button. Fig. Sis a similar view illustrating the third or final step in the operation; and Fig. 9 is astill more enlarged view of a part of Fig. 8, the buttoncover and the retaining-ring being shown in g the button rests during the covering opera-- tion, a tubular guide, b, which folds and holds t-he covering material around the edge of the mold, an annular criniper or gatherer, c, which crimps or gathers the material inward at the back of the mold, and an eyeleting head or punch, d, which opens the eyelet so as to hold the retaining-ring in position on the back of the mold, and a tubular cap or guide, e, in Which the eyeleting-punch works. The anvil a, which is slightly concave at its top, so as to conform to the slightly-convex back of the mold, is secured to a base, 10, of 'suitable size and shape to be conveniently grasped by the hand and to support the implement in an upright position when it rests upon a table or other support. The tubular guide bis of such size as to` just slide freely over the anvil a, and is provided near its lower end with interior screw-threads, which engage with correspond ing threads, 2, formed on the outside of the anvil near its bottom,` by whichmeans the guide b can be adjusted to different positions, so as to project a greater or less distance above the end of the anvil. The crimper c is of annular form, and is provided with a downwardly-extending flange, 3, which is adapted to just t over the outside of the top of the pose of which will appear when the operation of the implement is described. The cap e is made of sucient size to fit over the crim per c, and extend downwardly around thel upper end of the guide b, and is provided at its lower edge and upon Aopposite sides with bayonetjoints 5, which engage with studs 6, projecting from the upper end of the guide b in such manner as to lock the cap to the guide. The top of the cap e is tapped to receive the screwthreaded shank of the eyeleting-punch d. The lower end of the punch d is made concave, and it is tapered at its point, as shown at 7, so as to spread the end of the cyelet in the usual manner when it is forced-into the same.

The operation of the implement thus constructed is as follows: The guide b having been -placed over the anvil a and screwed onto the threads 2 until its upper end is adjusted to the proper height above the end of the anvil, as indicated in Fig. 6, a piece of fabric, 8, of suitable size to cover the button, will be placed over the end of the tubular guide b. The bnt tonmold 11, of the ordinary form, which can be found in the market, and which is provided at its back with a tubular eyelet, 9, through which projects the exible tuft 1, is then placed on the fabric 8 and forced downward into the end of the guide b and ontothetop of the anvil, as shown in Fig. 6. During this operation the edges of the fabric 8will be turned upward around the edges of the mold, and be brought into position to be gathered or crimped inward onto t-he back of the mold preparatory to being secured in position by the metal retaining-ring. The crimper c will then be placed over the end o'f the guide b, as shown in Fig. 7, and the guide b will be run downward onthe threads 2. During this operation the crimperc will be carried downward past the upwardly-projecting edges of the fabric 8, and the edges of the fabric, coming into contact with the inclined shoulder4 ofthe crimper, will-be turned inward,as shown. The metal retai ning-ring 12, of the ordinary form, will then be inserted into the opening in the crimper c, so as to overlie the edges of the fabric S. flhe cap e will then be placed over the crimper, and secu red to the -upper end of the guide b by means of the bayonet -joint-s 5 and lugs 6, and the eyeletingpunch d will be screwed downward until its tapered end 7 enters the end of theeyelet 9, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and this movement of the punch being `continued the eyelet will be spread so as to fasten the retaining-ring in position and secure the fabric around the mold, as shown in Fig. 9, thus completing the covered button. The eyeletingpunch will then be turned in the reverse direction, so as to back it away from the button, and the cap e and the crimper c will be removed, thereby permitting the removal of the completed but ton from the implement.

It will be seen that by this means a simple and inexpensive implement is provided b v which tailors and others can readily manufacture such small quantities of covered buttons as may be required to fill special orders without the necessity of sending such orders to regular button-manufacturers to be filled.

It will of course be seen that the implements may be manufactured in different sizes, so that each shop can be provided Withtwo or three of the implements-one, for example, of suitable size for covering vest-buttons, another of suitable size for covering' coat-buttons, and another of larger size for covering overcoatbuttons, and other large buttons.

Although, as shown in the present case, the crimper c is arranged to fit loosely on the upper end of the guide b, thel flange 3 of the crimper can, if desired, be screwthreaded upon its interior and arranged to engage with corresponding threads formed on the upper end ofthe guide b, so that the crimper can be screwed onto the upper end of the guide, instead of fitting loosely thereon, and this in some cases may be found preferable.

1. The combination, with the anvil a and tubular guide b, of the crimper c, cap e, aud eyeletingpunch d, substantially as described.

2. In an implement for covering buttonmolds, the combination, with the anvil a and tubular guide b, movable upon the anvil, of the crimper c, having the inclined shoulder 4, substantially as described.

3. In an implement for covering buttonmolds, the combination, with devices for holding the mold and the fabric, of the crimper c, provided with the inclined shoulder 4, arranged to crimp or turn the edges of the fabric inward over the back of the mold into position to be caught by the retainingring, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with 4the anvil a, of

IOO

the tubular guide b, adjustable thereon, the

crimper c, having the opening for the passage of the retaining-ring 12, the cap e, arranged to fit over and be secured to the guide b, and the eyeleting-punch d, screw-threaded land passing through an opening in the top ofthe cap, substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof Ihavehereunto set my hand in the presence` of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS G. ROEBUCK. Witnesses:

J. A. HovEY, JAs. J. KENNEDY. 

